Miscellaneous Articles

College Basketball Predictions: Pac-12 Futures Odds
by George Monroy - 10/11/2013

The Pac-12 is no longer the glamour division it once was, at least in college basketball. However, UCLA, Oregon and Colorado are still expected to field competitive squads this season, each with a chance at winning the conference and making the NCAA Tournament. And the Arizona Wildcats are actually a title contender this season, according to the oddsmakers, and are receiving the eight-best championship odds in the nation at +1500, according to Sportsbook.ag.

NHL Predictions: Penguins at Panthers Odds and Picks
by George Monroy - 10/11/2013

The Pittsburgh Penguins will finally hit for the road for first time this season when they visit the BB&T Center to face the Florida Panthers on Friday night. Pittsburgh opened the year with three straight home games and has already managed to look extremely impressive over that span, booking three dominant wins, scoring 12 goals, and getting a hat trick from Jussi Jokinen.

College Football Predictions: Oregon at Washington Odds and Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/10/2013

Oregon has been the winner the last nine times these two foes have met. To reach an even 10 they have to win what is by far their toughest test of the season. Washington, meanwhile, has to regroup after playing, and losing, the biggest game of the Pac-12 season last week and get ready to do the same thing all over again. The Ducks likely control their destiny in the battle for the BCS, so they need to win, and win nicely, to stay in position for glory.

College Football Power Rankings: Ferringo 15
by Robert Ferringo - 10/9/2013

Another week, another winner. The Ferringo 15 went 8-5 against the spread last week for yet another profitable venture. These plays have now turned a profit in 12 of the last 15 weeks going back to last year and are off to an awesome start this season.

NHL Predictions: Blackhawks at Blues Odds and Picks
by George Monroy - 10/9/2013

The offseason conference realignment may have sent the Chicago Blackhawks’ biggest division rival to the East. However, that does not mean that the team will lack challengers for supremacy over the Central division this season. The Blackhawks, who are expected to be the premier team in the West, will face a stiff test on Wednesday night when they go on the road to play a 2-0 St. Louis Blues team that, at the very least, is expected to be a playoff contender and possible rival to the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

NFL Predictions: Giants at Bears Week 6 Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/8/2013

If you would have told me that a New York football team would have had three wins through Week 5 and be in contention in its division, I would have said that sounded right. If you would have told me that team was the Jets and not the Giants, I would have said “shut the bleep up!” I wasn't sure the Jets would win three games all season, but there they are at 3-2 following Monday's surprising win at Atlanta.

NBA Predictions: Atlanta Hawks Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 10/7/2013

Atlanta has been stuck in neutral for the past few seasons. The Hawks were consistently good, but they were never good enough to get past the second round of the playoffs. Atlanta earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with 44 wins last year, but it was clear to everyone that they weren’t a real threat to win the East.

NHL Predictions: Rangers at Kings Odds and Picks
by George Monroy - 10/7/2013

The Los Angeles Kings will welcome the New York Rangers to the Staples Center Monday night for the team’s first home game of the year. The Kings and Rangers have not met in nearly two years, since Los Angeles’ home opener during its Stanley Cup title season. The Kings won that overtime matchup, 3-2. This season Los Angeles is again expected to compete for another title and is receiving the fourth-best championship odds in the entire NHL at +1000.

College Basketball Predictions: North Carolina Tar Heels Futures
by George Monroy - 10/4/2013

The North Carolina Tar Heels are coming off a disappointing season where the team finished with a 25-11 record and was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The team has had a long history of success during the postseason and has made the Elite Eight five times during the last seven years. North Carolina’s last championship came in 2009, however.

NHL Predictions: Red Wings at Hurricanes Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/4/2013

I am batting 1.000 on my NHL picks so far this early season, so why mess with success: I'll stick to the team that worked out well for me in the season opener, the Detroit Red Wings. OK, that's not really the reason why I will look at Friday's Red Wings-Hurricanes matchup. There are six games on Friday, and four of them involve teams that also play Thursday night. I will always try to avoid picking a game where the team plays the night before.

NFL Predictions: Chargers at Raiders Week 5 Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/3/2013

I have always envied friends of mine who live in Los Angeles and Seattle. Why? The NFL Sunday kicks off at 10 a.m. local time -- early bar trips! -- and the night games are over by 9 p.m. However, I also really enjoy watching big events late at night. I remember back in the day when UNLV was the "it" team in college basketball during the 1990-91 season, and the Rebels' games were shown at midnight on ESPN.

College Football Predictions: Washington at Stanford Odds and Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/3/2013

The Cardinal will be out for one thing above all else in this one — revenge. Last year Stanford lost in a crushing effort in Washington. The loss had a happy ending — it was the game that led to a QB change and the Kevin Hogan era, and that has certainly turned out well for the team. That game was a defensive battle — 17-13 — with Stanford failing to score an offensive touchdown and managing only 65 yards on the ground a year after they had torched the Huskies for 446 yards.

NHL Predictions: Regular Season Point Totals
by George Monroy - 10/3/2013

The new NHL season is finally underway, and it will be the first time in nearly two years that fans will get to experience a full-slate of 82 games. Not to take anything away from the Chicago Blackhawks, but lockout-shortened seasons—in any sport—tend to be viewed with a bit of an asterisk.

College Football Power Rankings: Ferringo 15
by Robert Ferringo - 10/3/2013

After our 9-2 eruption two weeks ago, the Ferringo 15 came back to earth a little bit last Saturday. Two of our top teams, Washington and Arizona, played one another (guaranteeing one win and one loss), but discounting that game our other clubs went 5-4 for another winning week.

NBA Predictions: Denver Nuggets Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 9/30/2013

George Karl led the Denver Nuggets to a 57-25 record last year. He was named NBA Coach of the Year last season. What did he get in return? He was fired at the end of last season after the Nuggets decided they weren’t willing to give him the contract extension he was asking for. Karl did a lot of good things for this franchise, and losing him was just the start of a very tumultuous offseason for the Nuggets

NHL Predictions: New York Rangers Futures Odds
by George Monroy - 9/30/2013

The New York Rangers ended last season with a disappointing second-round playoff loss to the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Boston Bruins. The team then spent the summer dealing with coaching drama and internal turmoil amongst management as New York let go of former coach John Tortorella and nearly hired the former Ranger Mark Messier.

College Football Predictions: LSU at Georgia Odds and Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/26/2013

The stakes for this game are very significant — as you would expect when these teams meet. Georgia could still play for all the marbles at the end of the year despite their season-opening loss to Clemson. With a second loss, though, they would be left to hope for a good bowl game, because they would only be playing for pride.

Baseball Predictions: Pirates at Reds Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/26/2013

The last time we saw the Pittsburgh Pirates in the postseason, former Pirate and slow-footed Atlanta Brave Sid Bream was sliding under a throw from some Pittsburgh left fielder named Barry Bonds to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning on Oct. 14, 1992 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. It completed the Braves' rally from a 2-0 deficit in the ninth -- clearly Pirates ace starter Doug Drabek shouldn't have started that inning -- and sent Atlanta to the World Series. It was Pittsburgh's third straight NLCS loss.

College Basketball Predictions: Who will be the ATS Kings?
by George Monroy - 9/26/2013

Wagering on any college sport is always difficult because of the huge talent gap between teams. NCAA sports tend to have big spreads because college squads are largely comprised of 20-year-old kids that will probably not play professional sports for a living. The reason that there are not 20- to 30-point lines in the NBA is because no matter how bad a team is, every player on the roster is still a professional basketball player. The majority of players on most college teams will be pursuing a career in an entirely different field.

NHL Predictions: Boston Bruins Futures Odds
by George Monroy - 9/26/2013

The Boston Bruins came within two games of winning last year’s Stanley Cup title after holding a 2-1 lead over the eventual winners and reigning champion Chicago Blackhawks. The crushing loss might have been enough to send any team into a tailspin, but the Bruins spent the offseason upgrading the team and adding depth and offensive strength.